fbinaa_apr-jun-2020-Press-digital

Cory McGookin ACADEMY UPDATE

I love having the opportunity to provide updates on the National Academy program and, normally, there are a few things to mention. This time, I almost don’t know where to start. It has been a tough time here lately at the NA. Potential but unconfirmed COVID-19 exposure hit the academy the last week of session 279 back in March. It caused us to proceed with graduation with caution and with warning. Several students needed to miss graduation. Many family members did not attend for fear of their health. Session 280 was postponed with only a few weeks’ notice. Staff members have been sent home to telework. We are hoping that we can get back on track in July with session 281 and then bring back session 280 in October. Unfortunately, even that plan is wait and see as events unfold around the world. We are trying to take advantage of this time the best we can. Our staff is working from home, but we are updating our documentation, fixing lingering issues and working toward Academy as one of their professional goals as soon as they are cut loose from FTO Training. We can also market ourselves by staying involved in Community Give Back Programs where we provide support to those less fortunate and assist other nonprofit organizations. We also need to be there for the men and women that, as leaders, we send out on the front lines everyday to do their job. Far to often, while performing their duties, they come across situations which can affect them for life. I am currently the coordinator for our local Peer-to-Peer Critical Incident Stress Management Team and I look forward to working with other departments across the country by offering additional Officer Safety and Wellness Services to our brothers and sisters in need. We can also work on FBINAA member benefits and increase the overall strength of our organization. We currently have a tremendous number of active members in our organization and we should be able to use that to our advantage when it comes to seeking out additional benefits for our active and retired law enforcement members. I believe in doing so we can also address the challenges of membership retention and recruitment. I also plan to address the unique needs of our retired members. I believe they hold the institutional knowledge needed to advance our organization, and, I hope to be there myself one day. I have also been successful in creating Public/Private Partnerships in our community and I feel the association and its membership will benefit from this on a national level. Introducing these public partners to other agencies with NA Graduates will benefit everyone. Businesses recognize what the NA has to offer and want to partner with us to better the community.

updating and improving the curriculum. Basically, trying to do those little things that you never have time to get to when you are busy running a session.

There is the old saying about opportunity existing within crisis and our plan is to proceed with that mindset. We hope to look back one day and point to this unique circumstance as the reason for parts of a world class NA experience. Nobody knows better who we are and who we hope to be than all of you. With that, I’m inviting you to stay connected to the program. If you have an idea, suggestion or information that would make us better, please contact us. The staff and instructors would love to hear from you. If you don’t know where to start you can always email our general NationalAcademy@fbi.gov box and we will connect you.

Continued from "Meet the Candidate", on page 19

And finally, continue to implement and support the three pillars of the FBI National

Academy Associates, Education, Fitness, and Networking. The Education component will allow us to be successful while performing our duties responsibilities. Our officers may not always be the fastest or strongest person on the scene, but providing them with the training will allow them to be the most intellectually equipped person on the scene. This will assist them in remaining tactfully aware, and while using their emotional intelligence, practice de-escalation and conflict resolution techniques in order to go home to the ones they love. Encouraging Physical and Mental Fitness will help those we lead deal with and overcome some of the challenges today's law enforcement careers have to offer. And last but not least, Networking, which we as an organization have seemed to master. Our networking capabilities, which began in Quantico and have continued since our graduation, separate and set us apart from other professional organizations. We have demonstrated our ability to keep in touch with those we met on through the NA on a national, state, and local level and we have proven accounts that using our relationships will solve cases faster and assist us in obtaining needed resources which ultimately keeps all of our communities safer. In expressing my desire to run for the office of Section II Representative, I have the support of my wife, my family, my friends, my department, and numerous chapters and their members. I look forward to seeing all of you soon. I hope to have the opportunity to continue to serve you and the FBINAA on a national level by serving you as your next Section II Representative. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or ideas, by email dyess_lc@jpso.com or cell phone 504.415.3072 .

28 F B I N A A . O R G | A P R / J U N 2 0 2 0